By Matt Shifman and Bob Ehalt

Hot List Key:
 A: A preferred horse to watch                                 B: Secondary horse to watch
*C: Went down 2 or more betting notches and finished 1st through 3rd
*D: Went down 2 or more betting notches and finished 4^th or worst
* - 4 or more betting notches if 11-1 or more.

1^st race [Md Sp Wt, 1 1/8 mi] – (4) Just Music (B) got shuffled back and steadied and rallied for second well ahead of the rest of the field. The filly takes on the boys here. (3) True Connection had two starts with top three finishes on muddy and sealed tracks. In his debut he ran behind a horse that is undefeated in two starts. (5) D Day Sky changes barns after four starts and hit the board in two of them. (1) Causeway was moved up to third in his second start for Chad Brown where he had to check in the turn at Tampa Bay Downs.

4^th race [Clm 40000 N2L, 1 mi] – (4) Masterwork (A) broke slowly, got rushed up to the lead in a starter allowance, and faded. He drops down to a claimer where he did finish third. (5) Magia Nera was second in his last two races at this same level. (2) Wanna Winna won a maiden claimer two races back the first time he ran for a tag and changes trainers. (3) Refuah won a NY-bred maiden special weight two races ago and since made a pair of starts in allowances.

5^th race [Clm 16000 N2L, 1 mi] – (1) Gun Maestro (B) ran into traffic and got slowed down while trying to close along the rail last time. (8) Ice Road had a pair of second-place finishes in N2L claimers. (6) Arrebato is projected to get loose on the lead as he did two races ago when he set the pace and missed the win by a neck. (3) Jungfrau made two starts on the Kentucky Derby trail in 2023. Since then he was claimed for $40,000 and then last time for $25,000.

8^th race [Alw 50000s, 7F] – (6) Notah (C) was bet down from 9-1 to 5-1 in a similar spot, broke last, got to the lead, and finished gamely for second. (7) Red D G P won his last two starts and was claimed from both for $16,000 and then $25,000. (4) Borletti was claimed from a win for $25,000 by Rick Dutrow and stepped up to a starter allowance where he missed the win by a nose. (2) Showdown King was claimed at Turfway Park for $50,000 by Linda Rice when he was second. Rice has done well with horses that she claimed in Kentucky.

Best bets: Masterwork (4^th); Gun Maestro (5^th). Best value: Just Music (1^st); Notah (8^th).